Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY H. MORGAN AND ALBERT GERRY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,252, dated November 28, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY H. MORGAN and ALBERT GERRY, of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented an Improved Car-Coupling; and we do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawing are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use our said inv vention or improvements without further invention or experiment.

Our invention relates to an improved coupling or automatic connection for cars, by the use of which the cars will couple themselves upon coming together.

In order to more fully illustrate and explain our invention, reference is had to the accompanyin g drawing forming a part of this specification, in which A A are the timbers or bars, which are secured to the frame-work of the cars in the usual manner; and B B, the bumpers. These bumpers also serve, by interlocking with each other, as couplings for connecting the cars when bolted together in the manner hereinafter described. Each of these bumpers or couplings consists of two parallel stationary leaves or jaws, c c, which are formed out of a solid piece of metal. The outside jaw c of each bumper is made with an angular or flaring extremity, in order to guide the opposite or interlocking jaws c to their places when the carscome together. The jaws are provided with a vertical slot, d, through which a bolt, 6, passes in order to fasten them together when the jaws have been interlocked. The object of the slot 01 is to permit an independent upand-down movement of either bumper in order to accommodate the coupling to cars of different heights. The bolt 6 consists of a bar of metal, of sufiicient length to extend horizontally from the corner of the car to and through the jaws of the couplings, being supported by a yoke, f, or equivalent device, which is fixed to the outer leaf or jaw c. A spiral or other spring, 9, serves to throw the bolt into and through the slots, in the manner hereafter described. In order to render the coupling together or connecting of the cars automatic, a vertical shaft, 6, is supported in boxes, on the side of the leaf 0, at right angles to the bolt 0, and at a short distance from it. An arm, j, has one end keyed firmly to this shaft, while its opposite end is hinged or otherwise loosely attached to the bolt 6, so that a partial revolution of the shaft in one direction will cause the arm to draw the bolt. The upper end I of the vertical shaft 13 is bent at right angles to the shaft, so as to stand across the opening between the two jaws. A vertical tripping-bar, k, is fixed to the upper corner of the entering jaw c, which strikes the end j of the shaft 'i as the jaws begin to interlock, and turns the shaft i so as to draw the bolt and allow the jaw c to enter between the jaws c c of the opposite bumper, after which the spring 9 throws the bolt through the slots and completes the connection. The bolt 6, as above stated, is long enough to extend to the outside corner of the car, and its extremity is provided with a suitable handle or hand-hold, m. The end of the bar moves over a plate, and a notch, n, in the bar serves to catch over the plate when the bolt is drawn far enough to rerelease the jaws, and holds it in that position, so that all that is necessary to do to uncouple the cars will be for the brakesman or other person to walk to the corner of the car and draw the bolt until the notch catches over the plate. One bolt can be employed for each pair of bumpers, or one can be used on each half. In the latter case only one will be provided with the trippingbar and shaft which draws the bolt.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The interlocking-bumpers B, consisting of the vertically-slotted leaves or jaws c c, in combination with the horizontal sliding bolt 6, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The vertical shaft 1', connected with the bolt 6 by an arm, j, and having the bent end I in combination with the tripping'bar is, substantially as and for the purpose above described.

In witness that the above-described invention is claimed by us we have hereunto set our hands.

H. H. MORGAN. A. GERRY. Witnesses:

BENJ. G. FABRE, GEO. H. STRONG. 

